An Eerie Welcome

If Gawain hadn’t been a true local, he would never have willingly come to such a desolate, godforsaken place.

“Thank you for your understanding, guest. Here is the key to your room. As for the payment…”

“Here, Innkeeper! This is the money!” Before the frail old man could finish his sentence, the warm-hearted Gawain promptly pulled out ten copper coins and offered them.

“You don’t need to give me the money now. You can pay me tomorrow when you return the key.” Gently, the old man pushed Gawain’s offered coins back. He had no intention of accepting the payment immediately.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll run off without paying?” Gawain glanced at him, a look of surprise on his face. He couldn’t fathom why the man insisted on waiting.

“Not at all. This old man is quite discerning when it comes to judging character.” A benevolent smile graced his lips as he shook his head slightly.

It seemed he held an unwavering trust that Gawain would not abscond.

“Is that so? Well, if you insist on collecting the payment tomorrow, Innkeeper, then I suppose I have no choice but to comply.” Seeing that the old man still had no intention of taking the money, Gawain couldn’t very well force it upon him. He scratched his head and offered a sheepish smile.

Taking the key, Gawain walked down the dark hall and unlocked the door to his room.

He peered inside, taking a quick survey of the conditions. The room was dilapidated, yet despite its age, it was remarkably free of cobwebs. He reached out and swiped a finger across the wooden cabinet beside the door.

“How long has it been since this room was last dusted?” he sighed softly, rubbing his grimy fingers together.

Despite his distaste, Gawain did not turn to leave; instead, he stepped fully into the room. After all, a night was a night, whether good or bad. When it came to sleeping in poor conditions, Gawain had certainly experienced his fair share. This room was far superior to the roofless shacks and muddy ditches he had stayed in during the past.

With this thought in mind, Gawain walked over to the bed. He pulled off the existing bedsheet and replaced it with a clean one he had brought himself. Before becoming a Disaster Purger, Gawain had often slept outdoors, exposed to the elements. Consequently, he had developed the habit of carrying his own bedroll. This excellent habit saved him from sleeping on a dust-laden mattress tonight.

After swiftly changing the sheets, Gawain meticulously surveyed the room once more. A few seconds later, his eyes landed on a small window. A ragged curtain hung over the glass, and, to Gawain’s unsurprised dismay, it was thickly coated in dust.

He quickly walked over and rolled the curtain up.

“Though everything else is lacking, the view from this room is actually quite good.”

Looking outside, Gawain felt that the ten copper coins he was going to spend were somewhat worth it. What greeted his eyes was the setting sun in the west. Because his room faced due west, he was able to witness the lingering glow cast by the descending twilight.

The desolate street, bathed in the afterglow, was awash in a vibrant orange hue. It painted the unlit streetlamps in fiery shades of crimson.

As he watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon, Gawain found his thoughts drifting.

‘I wonder if Angela is doing well?’

Staring at the dying light, Gawain remembered his childhood sweetheart, whose presence felt so near now that he was back in the region. He had not forgotten the promise he made to her. It was this very conviction that had driven him to pass the arduous trials and become a Disaster Purger!

And not just any Purger, but a Second-Class elite!

What did it mean to successfully pass the trial and skip the lower ranks? Generally, it could be summed up with the words ‘incredibly awesome’. Since Aluk had managed to pass the trial and become Second-Class, how could Gawain possibly lose to someone whose mind was constantly filled with thoughts of brothels?

He had even received affirmation from the higher-ups, being granted the title of ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ to eventually reach First-Class. It was truly a triumphant return home.

Once the sun had completely vanished below the horizon, a piercing roar suddenly echoed through the streets outside.

Upon hearing it, Gawain immediately became alert.

“Why are there Calamity Scars here?”

Having passed his training, Gawain knew full well that the ‘ghosts’ haunting his village were, in fact, Calamity Scars. Hearing that familiar roar in the middle of Horsehead City brought a look of disbelief to his face.

“No, I have to go out and see!”

The Gawain of today was no longer the naive youth he once was. He hastily grabbed his gear, then, taking his key, left the room and rushed out onto the street.

“…”

As Gawain burst out the front door of the inn, he immediately noticed something terrifying. Numerous humanoid creatures, akin to rabid ghouls, were wandering aimlessly through the town.

It was unclear if one of these ‘zombies’ had noticed Gawain emerge, but it opened its mouth and let out a furious roar at him. That sound was like a stone dropped into a still pond, stirring a thousand ripples. It caused all the surrounding Calamity Scars to turn their glowing crimson eyes toward him.

“Am I really being greeted with such a surprise the moment I return? I can’t handle all these!”

Although the Calamity Scars before him weren’t particularly formidable on their own, Gawain was only a single Second-Class Purger. Confronted by such a dense swarm of monsters, a cold sweat began to seep into his palms.

“Respond! O Stars of the Seeking Arrow!”

Just as Gawain drew his greatsword, feeling a headache beginning to brew, a sharp, piercing female voice rang out into the night sky.

Following her incantation, the myriad stars above seemed to answer the call, one after another, plummeting from the heavens as bolts of holy light!

A barrage of blinding explosions struck the street. The mournful wails of the Calamity Scars filled the darkness as they were incinerated.

Instinctively, Gawain looked in the direction from which the voice had come. Soon, illuminated by the faint moonlight, he saw a cold-faced young woman standing on a rooftop.

The woman held a massive two-handed greatsword, utterly disproportionate to her slender frame. She wore a black gothic dress, and her long hair was as dark as the night itself.

Instantly, Gawain knew who she was. This was the Disaster Purger stationed in this area—Shirley Leverkuhn Ins, the First-Class Disaster Purger known as the ‘Black Rose’.

“To dare to walk out alone at night… should I call you bold, or simply foolish?”

As Gawain stood in astonishment, Shirley smirked coldly from above, her words dripping with sarcasm.

“May I ask if you are Lady Shirley?” Though her words were incredibly harsh, Gawain endured them, forcing a respectful smile as he sought confirmation.

“Isn’t this greatsword of mine proof enough? Do I still need to state it?” Shirley looked at him with an expression that suggested he was an idiot for asking such an obvious question.

“I am Gawain, a Second-Class Disaster Purger. Gawain Leverkuhn Cent.”

“So, you’re the newcomer they said would be coming here?”

Having heard Gawain’s introduction, Shirley—who seemed to have anticipated someone’s arrival—still maintained an unpleasant expression. It was as if she didn’t particularly welcome him.

“Yes, I originally planned to report to you tomorrow…” Gawain wasn’t surprised that she had heard of him. Whenever there was a change in deployments, the Light of Holy Flame would always inform the Purgers stationed in the respective regions.

“No need for reporting. I don’t know what possessed you to want to come to this godforsaken place. Are you tired of living?” Shirley waved her hand dismissively, hopping down from the roof. Her expression hadn’t softened, and she continued to mock him, looking as if she desperately wanted to drive him away.

“This is my hometown…” Listening to her relentless taunts, Gawain could only force a smile.

Even though Shirley’s words were unpleasant, Gawain still understood their underlying meaning. Shirley clearly didn’t want him to stay here long-term because it was dangerous. Considering the horde of Calamity Scars that had just been wandering the streets, the intelligent Gawain naturally understood her unspoken warning.

“Your hometown?”

“To be precise, it’s at the foot of my hometown.” Nodding at Shirley, Gawain subconsciously turned his head and looked toward Ash Mountain.

“Are you from that cursed mountain?” Following his gaze, Shirley immediately guessed his origins.

“Yes. And these Calamity Scars are just like the ‘ghosts’ that have been plaguing my village, which is why I came out to investigate,” Gawain calmly stated.

“I’ve heard about what’s happening at Kabi Village.”

“What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? I said I’ve heard about Kabi Village.”

“If Lady Shirley has heard about it, why didn’t the order send—”

“In the past few years, nearly ten Disaster Purgers have been sent up Ash Mountain, and every single one was a Second-Class elite,” Shirley interrupted, her expression softening slightly. With a hint of melancholy, she quietly recounted the grim history.

She implied that it wasn’t that she hadn’t dispatched help up the mountain, but rather that a dozen had been sent and failed.

“What?!” Gawain was truly shocked. He had never imagined that Purgers had actually gone up the mountain! He had initially thought Kabi Village had been completely abandoned by the capital, which was why he had traveled so far to participate in the trials himself.

“That mountain is incredibly eerie. Not a single Disaster Purger who went up there has ever been heard from again; all of them vanished without a trace.”

After saying this, Shirley pulled out a biscuit stick and placed it in her mouth like a cigar. She looked quite cool.

“That’s impossible! Those were all Second-Class Disaster Purgers!” Gawain gasped, unable to process that an entire squad of elites had been wiped out.